Jill’s office is a mess. There are papers everywhere and no rhyme or reason to her paper or electronic filing systems. Tom’s office is also a mess, but within ten minutes he can put everything in its proper place.

The difference between Jill and Tom may not look like much if you were to walk past their offices when papers are everywhere, but there is a big difference lurking below. Jill’s office is in a state of chaos. Tom’s is in a temporary state of disorganization.

With less than one month until we close out the year and start fresh, there is a renewed sense of enthusiasm about being organized and productive. Starting a new year brings the same sort of renewed feelings that new hires bring to their new job, no matter what day of the year it happens to be.

There’s only one problem with the enthusiasm most people bring to a new beginning . . . They make too big of a promise to themselves without the structures in place to support the changes they vow to make.